TradCatKnight: “Thou shalt call His Name Jesus” (Mt.1:21)
“Thou shalt call His Name Jesus” (Mt.1:21) Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, January 4, 2015 By: Fr. Campbell “Therefore God also has exalted him and has bestowed upon him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father” (Phil.2:9-11). “For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
These words from Sacred Scripture, words anointed by the Holy Spirit, teach us that we must have a loving reverence for the Holy Name of Jesus, and a holy fear of offending Him. “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain,” says the Commandment. Why should God’s Commandment be difficult to observe? There is no one like Jesus Christ, the One Who has laid down His life to save us, the Good Shepherd Who guides His sheep to everlasting life, the sinless and all perfect Son of God Who now sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us (Rom.8:34). If we profess to know Him, if we say we love Him, how could we possibly think of pronouncing His Sacred Name without reverently bowing our heads?
“In the Name of Jesus we obtain every blessing and grace for time and eternity, for Christ has said: ‘If you ask the Father anything in my name he will give it you’ (Jn.16: 23). Therefore the Church concludes all her prayers by the words: ‘Through Our Lord Jesus Christ,…’” (Holy Name of Jesus, The Catholic Encyclopedia). The Father is not pleased to have the Holy Name of His beloved Son abused.
After speaking of various sins against the Second Commandment, the Catechism of the Council of Trent declares: “Still more enormous is the guilt of those who, with impure and defiled lips, dare to curse or blaspheme the holy name of God – that name which is to be blessed and praised above measure by all creatures, or even the names of the Saints who reign with Him in glory. So atrocious and horrible is this crime that the Sacred Scriptures, sometimes when speaking of blasphemy use the word blessing” (Tan Books, 1982, p. 394).
